In Manila since January, living above Robinsons Place, I've been eating my way through the mall. As far as I know, nobody has ever done anything like this, my unique contribution to the city's food/blog scene. Initially here on a 3-month contract, I started with the restaurants on the 1st floor (currently 36, down from the initial 40), which I completed last week. Now staying on a new contract through October, I'm doing the restaurants on the 2nd floor (currently 7, down from the initial 16, then onto to the 3rd and 4th floors, time permitting. Henceforth, however, I'll take them as they come, no more pushing the agenda; if I don't finish, too bad.

The 2nd floor includes McDonald's and Arya, which also have locations on the 1st floor, previously covered during Phase 1, so I skipped them for Phase 2.

This is the 45th in the series, the 7th on the 2nd floor--the final one (for now)! Pedro Gil Wing.

Recipes is a Filipino restaurant. A quick internet search suggests that at least 3 locations around Manila exist, or did exist at some point, but this is unconfirmed. No other information about the business was readily available. The menu offers many Filipino classics, with stronger emphasis on vegetables, seafood, fish. Maybe due to the interior design or the menu choices or the food itself, but the general impression is that the place is trying to modernize the Filipino dining experience.

When beer is 30% cheaper than fresh fruit--in many/most developing countries, soft drinks and other sugar-sweetened beverages are cheaper than bottled water--making the right choice isn't so easy.

Gising gising is a Filipino pork and bean dish. Consists of ground pork and green beans cut into small pieces, simmered in coconut milk, often seasoned with shrimp paste.

The gising gising at Recipes was quite good. The sauce was well-balanced, rich and creamy in flavor, yet delicate in texture. The beans were perfectly cooked, just so, leaving them fresh and crunchy. And because I'd availed myself of the chicken-for-pork substitution option, the dish felt light all the way through. I'd definitely order this again.

In Manila since January, living above Robinsons Place, I've been eating my way through the mall. As far as I know, nobody has ever done anything like this, my unique contribution to the city's food/blog scene. Initially here on a 3-month contract, I started with the restaurants on the 1st floor (currently 36, down from the initial 40), which I completed last week. Now staying on a new contract through October, I'm doing the restaurants on the 2nd floor (currently 7, down from the initial 16, then onto to the 3rd and 4th floors, time permitting. Henceforth, however, I'll take them as they come, no more pushing the agenda; if I don't finish, oh well.

This is the 44th in the series, the 6th on the 2nd floor. Pedro Gil Wing.

Secret Recipe is an Asian/Western restaurant/bakery chain. Found in 1997. Founded in Malaysia. Currently over 300 branches in 8 countries throughout Asia, including 4 locations in the Philippines. The Asian side of the menu leans to the SSE, strongly flavored rice/noodle/stir-fry dishes typically associated with Malaysia/Singapore or Indonesia. On the Western side, a hodgepodge of fish/chicken/lamb dishes, as well as cakes and pies.

These prices, somewhere around 300 pesos per dish, now seem absurdly expensive in light of what I know about the quality of the food.

Because of TERRP, I would've eaten here anyway, but this plaque--whatever "Malaysia Kitchen for the World" is--totally duped me, even though I usually don't pay attention to such awards; at the very least, I figured that the Malaysian food would be okay; now that I look at it again, 3 out of 5 stars doesn't seem like much of an endorsement.

In Manila since January, living above Robinsons Place, I've been eating my way through the mall. As far as I know, nobody has ever done anything like this, my unique contribution to the city's food/blog scene. Initially here on a 3-month contract, I started with the restaurants on the 1st floor (currently 36, down from the initial 40), which I completed last week. Now staying on a new contract through October, I'm doing the restaurants on the 2nd floor (currently 7, down from the initial 16, then onto to the 3rd and 4th floors, time permitting. Henceforth, however, I'll take them as they come, no more pushing the agenda; if I don't finish, too bad.

This is the 43rd in the series, the 5th on the 2nd floor. Pedro Gil Wing.

Surprisingly, healthy point-of-sale marketing!Alas, I was overcome by the other side.

Shakey's is a chain of American-style pizza restaurants. Founded in Sacramento, CA, 1954. Currently 500 stores globally, just 60 in the States, mostly in California, but more than 160 in the Philippines, about half in Metro Manila.

Despite having lived in California for 20 years, I can't recall ever seeing a Shakey's establishment before Manila.

Typical American pizza parlor menu, including buffalo wings and such.

Surprisingly cheap, all regular-sized pies, each enough for 1-2 people, under 200 pesos.

The Friday Special was okay. The crust was very American, thickish and spongy, dry in flavor. The cheese and tomato sauce, as well as the shrimp and mushroom toppings, were all competent, if unremarkable. I probably wouldn't volunteer to go back for more, but I wouldn't object if someone wanted to take me.

The first principle of alcoholism: quantity over quality.

For the "regular" size, they need to work on the cheese:crust ratio, because each piece was essentially just 3 bites of cheese, then crust.

The buffalo wings (2.5) were decent.

In the Philippines, "1 wing" = the entire wing, which in the States and Korea (and maybe most countries?) would be separated into 2 separate pieces.

In Taipei to grab a bite. Many bites. Along the lines of my food odyssey to Singapore last year (see most recently 4.267 Chicken Rice), the plan was to try as many items as I could find, from as many venues as I could hit, improvising for the most part, no scheduled meals, just stuffing my face throughout the day and into the night, whenever I was no longer feeling stuffed from before. Arriving a little past noon Friday morning, I was here for about 54 hours through this evening.

Venue 10: Yong-Kang Beef Noodle

Opens at 11:00.

I arrived at 11:10, hoping to beat the crowds...

... but everyone was one step ahead of me.

Beef noodle soup is a Taiwanese noodle dish. Consists of flour noodles in beef broth, made from boiling meat and bones for hours, often overnight, seasoned primarily with soy sauce and douban jiang (chili paste), topped with slices of brisket and/or tendon, often garnished with suan cai (pickled cabbage). Brought to Taiwan by immigrants from Sichuan, where the seasonings also include the infamous Sichauan peppercorn for extra kick (see for example 4.293 Cheers! (Not Really)). Widely regarded as the national dish.

If I ever get another shot at this place, I might try the zha jiang mian (see generally 5.072 Zha Jiang Mian), as offered in the bottom right corner of the menu; Din Tai Fung also had it, which makes me wonder if it's a common dish in Taiwan.

Yong-Kang Beef Noodle is a Taiwanese restaurant. Located a couple blocks south of Dongmen Metro Station (red line) (a couple blocks south of Din Tai Fung). According to the signage, founded in 1963. Specializes in noodle dishes, particularly beef noodle soup. By many accounts, it's the ultimate destination for beef noodle soup. The customers do queue up for the privilege.

At the entrance, a wide array of side dishes on sale, each just TWD 25 (about USD 1).

Previous experiences with various Chinese culinary traditions all suggest that meals are exclusively about main dishes, nothing else on the table. I've seen it in Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Wuhan, Singapore, Philippines, London, Florence, Geneva, Paris, Frankfurt, Boston, New York, Washington DC, San Francisco, Oakland, LA, San Diego. The only exception, of course, is in Korea, where meals always include some kind of sour/spicy side dish, regardless of the cuisine, be it Korean--starting with the ubiquitous kimchi, the source of this dependency--Chinese (see for example 5.106 Spicy Taiwanese Crab Stir-Fry), Italian, French (see for example 5.108 Grilled Seabass), Nepali (see for example 3.339 Nepali Set - Mutton). As a result, Korean travelers are often uncomfortable when eating at restaurants abroad, because they don't get that sour/spicy kick with every bite, especially in Chinese restaurants, as the food is considered greasy, thus necessitating the kick.

Thus, the side dish aspect of the Taiwanese culinary tradition has been the most interesting revelation of the trip. The very existence of side dishes is amazing. I also like the pre-made/on-display/pick-and-choose setup, allowing diners to see exactly what they're getting and get it immediately. Koreans must feel right at home here.

Another thing, I've always maintained that Korean restaurants should adopt some kind of option system for side dishes, which are served automatically to customers, whether they want them or not, resulting in tons, literally, tons of food waste.

Item 22: dried tofu and anchovies (2.0)--deceptively spicy.

Item 23: pickled cabbage (2.5)--kinda like cole slaw.

Item 24: Spicy Dumpling (1.5)--I'm finding that wontons in Taiwan tend to be very heavy on the skin, which is my least favorite part.

I shared the table with 4 other diners, also solo, all eating the beef noodles.

The food was okay. Despite appearances, the broth was neither very spicy nor beefy, surprisingly bland, similar impression to the one at Din Tai Fung (see generally 5.110 (Chicken?) Xiaolongbao). On a positive note, the brisket was perhaps the tenderest and most succulent piece of beef that I can recall experiencing in recent memory. The tendon was quite nice, too, perfectly cooked so as to be delicately chewy, not rubbery or mushy. The flour noodles, whatever. Net, I suppose that I enjoyed the food more than I didn't enjoy the food, and that includes all the other dishes that I ordered, but I'd never again want to wait in line for it.

For the final sightseeing activity: the Museum of Contemporary Art, housed in an old school building.

Through June, the entire museum is dedicated to K-POP, a special exhibition featuring works by Korean artists.

The most intriguing series comprised these pieces by Park Seung Mo.

Constructed of wire, they appeared 3-D and photographically sharp, at a distance, frontal view...

...but consisted of just a few seemingly random jumbled layers when view up close and from the side

I can't even begin to imagine how the artist, or whoever invented the technique, thought of doing this, much less put it into application.

This sense of awed befuddlement is what I love about visiting modern/contemporary art museums.

A few blocks away from the museum, I discovered a retail outlet for KA VA LAN, a Taiwanese single malt whisky producer.

Although I'd never heard of it until that moment, didn't even know that Taiwan single malt existed, I bought a bottle in good faith--as soon as I walked into the store, done deal--I would've bought more, but weight was an issue.

In my apartment, I now have single malts from Scotland, Sweden, and Taiwan, as well as bourbon from America; I should get a bottle of Philippine whisky to expand the global collection--come to think of it, I'm an expat now, so maybe that's what I should be drinking (see comments under 4.270 The Original - Verena).

With a few hours remaining before my flight back to Manila, the Taipei Diet wasn't finished yet. Under the bus terminal where I'd take the shuttle to the airport, I encountered an extensive underground shopping center that featured a restaurant corner.

Venue 11: TKK Fried Chicken

Having read somewhere that Taiwan is famous for fried chicken...

...which made me raise an eyebrow, a Korean-American living in the Philippines...

...but of course I'm always a sucker for point-of-sale marketing...

...so I got a 1-piece + drink set--just TWD 59.

TKK is a Taiwanese fried chicken chain. Founded in 1974. Currently 48 locations throughout Taiwan, 2 in China.

At the airport, after checking in my bags, I still had a few minutes before boarding time, so the Taipei Diet was still alive. The airport offers a food court with a respectable array of made-to-order restaurants.

As evidenced by the average rating, I wasn't all that impressed by the food. I don't anticipate coming back of my own accord anytime soon. But who knows, maybe with guidance from somebody who's familiar with the city, I could make it work next time.